Duke hosts High Point Thursday night in the first game in three days for the Blue Devils. It will be the season opener for the Panthers, while Duke is coming off of a commanding 18-4 win over No. 17 Air Force. The game will be aired on ACC Network Extra and can be seen on the WatchESPN platform. Ryan Craig and former Blue Devil Jack Rowe will call the action.

The Blue Devils stayed put at No. 1 in both the Inside Lacrosse and Lacrosse Magazine polls.

The Series History

Duke is 4-0 all-time against High Point after the first meeting in 2013. The average margin of victory for the Blue Devils is 10 goals per game. Duke defeated High Point 10-5 last season.

By the Numbers

1 – Preseason national ranking in two of the three polls - Inside Lacrosse and Lacrosse Magazine

15 – Total points Justin Guterding has in his three outings against the Panthers, 10 goals and five assists

248 – Career points for Justin Guterding after scoring 10 points in the season opener last weekend

56 – Straight games with a point for senior Justin Guterding, the longest among Division I players

16 – Wins needed by head coach John Danowski to become the first Division I head coach to reach the 400 wins benchmark

18 – Consecutive games with a point for junior midfielder Brad Smith, dating back to last season’s High Point game

43 – Points needed by Brad Smith to become Duke’s 45th 100-point scorer - he had 39 last season

9 – Regular season Duke games that will be broadcast on one of ESPN’s many platforms, including four on ESPNU.

Recapping The Season Opener

Duke cruised in its season opener, beating 17th-ranked Air Force 18-4. The win was the 11th victory in 13 season-opening games for head coach John Danowski, while the 18 goals scored are the second most behind a 20-6 victory over Siena in 2011.

The 14-goal margin matched the biggest with the win over the Saints seven seasons ago. It was Duke’s 188th win since 2007.

Preseason Facts

The Blue Devils were picked as co-favorites with Notre Dame to win the ACC Championship in 2018, while seniors Danny Fowler and Justin Guterding and junior Cade Van Raaphorst were voted preseason All-ACC by the league’s five coaches.

High Point opens its 2018 campaign Thursday night in Durham. The Panthers were picked to finish fifth in the Southern Conference after finishing in that spot in 2017.

High Point, 4-10 overall a year ago, lost its top two scorers to graduation and will lean on senior Connor Robinson for production at attack. Jason Ashwood will bolster the midfield after registering 20 points last season.

Defenseman Terrell Sands will anchor the close defense after earning preseason All-SoCon accolades. Brandon Savoie is back at the faceoff X and Tim Troutner Jr. is expected to step between the pipes.

Duke has fared well in the comfy confines of Koskinen Stadium since 2007. The Blue Devils went 7-2 in Durham last season and are 95-17 all-time at home under John Danowski.

Duke in The Month of February

Duke is 55-14 (.797) all-time in the month of February. The Blue Devils first played in the second month of the year in 1983.

Since 2007, Duke is 30-12 (.714) and has played five games in the month in three of previous four seasons.

Duke Defense Strong in 2018 Opener

Duke returns the core of the 2017 defense that turned in its best season since 2009. The Blue Devils didn’t miss a beat in the defensive half last week, holding Air Force to just four goals and only 11 shots in the first half. Overall, Duke allowed just four goals on 27 Air Force possessions.

Attackman Justin Guterding will be climbing the Duke and NCAA record books this season. The veteran scorer is currently ranked fifth at Duke in career points and 52 points shy of becoming the third Blue Devil and 12th player in NCAA history to 300 career points. He is 20 points from moving into the top 25 in NCAA history. He most recently passed current assistant coach Ned Crotty for fifth on the Duke chart.

If Guterding matches his 51 goals from last season, he will finish with 197, which would currently be tied for third in NCAA history. Zack Greer is the lone player in Division I lacrosse history to score 200 career goals. Guterding needs 54 overall this season to reach that mark and 60 to tie Greer’s 206.

Guterding Point Streak

Justin Guterding extended his points streak to 56-games this past weekend, pushing his total to 149 goals and 99 assists for 248 points in that span. He has a point in every game of his career.

Guterding averaged 2.56 assists per game in 2017, more than a one assist per game improvement of his 1.4 in 2016. He continued his trend of increasing his assist production with a career-best seven against Air Force.

His 46 total in 2017 ranked sixth in Duke single-season history. Only Jordan Wolf, Matt Danowski and Ned Crotty have more assists in a season than Guterding.

Guterding has 99 career helpers to rank seventh on the career charts. Danowski and Crotty sit atop the list with 183 and 147, respectively.